Union Minister Prahlad Patel Alleges Congress Working to Appease Muslims at Expense of SCs, STs, OBCs

Senior BJP leader and Madhya Pradesh minister Prahlad Patel on Sunday alleged that the Congress has a hidden agenda to provide reservation to Muslims by snatching the rights of SC, ST and OBCs.The Congress intention is Muslim appeasement and its opposition to the majority community has become evident to the public, he claimed.

Senior BJP leader and Madhya Pradesh minister Prahlad Patel on Sunday alleged that the Congress has a hidden agenda to provide reservation to Muslims by snatching the rights of SC, ST and OBCs.

The Congress' intention is Muslim appeasement and its opposition to the "majority community" has become evident to the public, he claimed. "This conspiracy of Congress will weaken the country and shatter constitutional values which is condemnable," said Patel, also a former Union minister, told reporters.

Amid the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, the BJP has been attacking the Congress accusing it of giving preferential treatment to Muslims. Of the seven phases of the general election, two have been completed. The minister said the National Commission for Backward Classes was formed in 1993 but it got constitutional status only in 2018. It was a Congres ploy to ensure that such a commission could be formed at the state level and it would work arbitrarily, the BJP leader alleged.

Patel claimed that the then Congress government in Andhra Pradesh had tried to give 7-10 per cent reservation to Muslims in 2004 despite the formation of the commission for OBC in 1993.

He said the Congress repeatedly attempted to bring Muslim quota and a case concerning this is being heard in the Supreme Court.

The BJP government had ended the Muslim reservation in Karnataka, which had been brought by the Congress. Now, the grand old party, which is governing the state, has again included them in the OBC category, said Patel. Patel said that the "hidden agenda of the Congress and INDI alliance is to snatch the rights of SCs (Scheduled Castes), STs (Scheduled Tribes) and OBC and give them to their favourites".

Congress wants to give the share of reservation for Dalits, tribals and backward classes to Muslims, he said. "The Congress's intention has become evident to the public," he said.

The Congress is repeatedly challenging the Constitution, which prohibits religion-based reservation, he said, adding that "SCs, STs, OBCs should rise against such attempts of the Congress". Polling for the 29 Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh has been scheduled in four phases between April 19 and May 13. Votes will be counted on June 4.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)